Calculating machine



Aug. 25, 1936'. E. RACZ' CALCULATING MACHINE Filed Aug. 1, .1935

2 Sheets-Sheei 1 Aug. 25, 1936. E. RACZ CALCULATING MACHINE Filed Aug. 1, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q INVENTOR BY Ernesf Razz M, M M A To uzvs Patented Aug. 25, 1936 Ernest Racz, Detroit,

Mich., assignor to Burroughs Adding Machine Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application August 1, 1935, Serial No. 34,185

27 Claims.

This invention relates to front feed paper feeding devices for business machines and more particularly to an improved ticket or bill chute adapted to guide and maintain a ticket orbill during the ticket insertion and printing operations.

Heretofore, tickets were inserted into printing position from above, and with the ribbon positioned horizontally considerable difliculty was encountered because of the tendency of the bottom edge of the ticket to engage the top edge of the ribbon with the resulting wrinkling and twisting of the ribbon. Even greater difficulties were encountered when two or more ribbons were employed.

Therefore, it is an object of my invention to provide a ticket chute adapted to guide a ticket during insertion and to receive and to hold the ticket during the positioning and printing operations so that any undesired and injurious engagement between the ticket and the ribbon will be eliminated while permitting proper printing engagement.

Another object is the provision .of a chute by which tickets may be readily inserted from the side of the machine in the direction of the ribbon to printing position without disarrangement of the ribbon.

A further object is the provision of a chute adapted to receive and hold a ticket during the positioning and printing operation, and to facilitate the withdrawal of the ticket from either side of the machine. I

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be more apparent from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings ii -which one embodiment and one modification is illustrated. Th invention is illustrated and described as being applicable to a Burroughs portable calculating machine of the type disclosed in the Horton patent No. 1,853,050, although it will be understood as being applicable as a feeding device to the entire general class of business machines of which the calculating machine isbut one form. I

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a P rtion of a' calculating machine illustrating the improved ticket chute applied thereto and showing only the chute with the cooperating elements of the machine;

.Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modified chute detached from a machine; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 1 and illustrating a modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated a supporting plate ill in the nature of 5 a stationary carriage equipped with the customary platen II which is spaced for each operation of the machine, as disclosed in the heretofore mentioned Horton patent. A record strip I2 extends from a roll IZ around the platen I I, under a serrated tear-01f blade I3 and finally over a writing table I4. Sections of the strip I2 may be either torn off at intervals by the operator against the tear-off blade I3 or the strip as a unit may be rewound upon another roll (not shown). An inked ribbon I6 is provided with one end thereof wound on a spool I], which is positioned at the left side of the plate ID, the ribbon extending laterally across the plate immediately in front of the platen I I and around a post I8 from which it returns around a guide post I9 to again pass in front of the platen II and around a second guide post to a spool 2| upon which it may be rewound and which is also located at the left side of the plate I 0 infront of the spool I'I. Suitable ribbon feeding and reversing mechanism (not shown) is also provided. While there are two stretches of the single ribbon I6 passing in front of the platen II in parallel relationship, the same result may be achieved by the provision of independent ribbons with their individual spools, in-

stead of doubling the ribbon back upon itself to form the double web or stretch.

Positioned between the two stretches of ribbon at one side of the machine and secured to plate II) is a front feed ticket chute 23 comprising adjacent side walls 24 and 25 whose upper portions 24 and 25 diverge outwardly in opposite directions to form. a trough 26, and whose outer end portions 24 and 25 adjacent the spool 49 I! also diverge outwardly in opposite directions to form a vertical trough 21. A ticket orbill 28 may be inserted in the chute either at the top through the trough 26 or at the side through the trough 21, the troughs 26 and 21 guiding the ticket between the chute walls, thereby eliminating the tendency of the lower edge of the ticket 28 to engage the upper edge of the ribbon I6 so as to wrinkle and disarrange the same. After the ticket 28 is in position in the chute 23, it is 5 then moved toward the right into printing position until the right-hand edge of the ticket engages a stop stud 29 which limits the lateral movement and thereby insure printing on the proper portion' of the ticket without requiring careful estimation on the part of the operator as to the distance of insertion. The lower edge of the chute 23 may be a continuation of the side walls and is positioned below the lower edge of the ribbon l6 and consequently the ticket, when resting in the chute, will be in like position with the upper and lower edges of the ticket 28 extending above and below the upper and lower edges of the ribbon l6. Thus, when the ticket is moved laterally to the right, it passes between and in the same direction as the front and back stretches of the ribbon I6, thereby eliminating all possibility of wrinkling and disarrangement of the ribbon and permitting safe and rapid operation of the machine.

The medial inner end portion of the chute 23 adjacent the platen H is cut away as at 30 to permit close contact of the ribbons with their respective tickets or strips to be printed and to eliminate any possibility of the chute walls 24 and 25 holding the stretches of ribbon apart during the printing operation.

After the ticket has been moved to printing position, the amount or desired impression is printed on the ticket 28 by the usual printing mechanism (not shown) through the front stretch of ribbon, and at the same time a duplicate impression may be printed upon the record strip l2 through the back stretch of ribbon. With the printing operation completed, the operator may raise the ticket vertically out of the chute or return it laterally-to the left until it is clear of the chute.

As an additional guide when desired, a small guide plate 32 is afllxed to the right end of plate I0, as viewed in Fig. 1, near guide post l9 and below stud 29. This plate engages the bottom edge of ticket 28 and assists to maintain the ticket in proper alignment for the printing operations. A

In Fig. 2 there is illustrated a somewhat modified form of side insertion chute particularly well suited for handling certain"sizes of tickets or slips of very flexible nature. In this form the walls 24 and 25 of the chute 23 may be slotted as at 33 to provide resilient gripping fingers 34 and35 which are slightly bent toward each other to provide a frictional grip on the ticket during printing operations.

In some instances, additional guiding means for the upper edge of the tickets is desired and in such cases a resilient blade 36 is provided either as an integral part of the chute or as an attachment thereto extending laterally above and in front of the platen II from the outwardly diverging wall portion 24* of chute 23 and in the same plane. This resilient blade is adapted to hold the ticket 28 in position during printing operations. The blade is doubled back upon itself at a point 31 which is directly opposite the righthand end of platen ll. The'free end portion 36 of the blade is bent outwardly from the body thereof and extends across the righthand end of the trough 26 to act as a guide for directing the ticket 28 into the narrow slit 39 formed by the doubling back of the blade 36 upon itself. Movement of the ticket to the right is limited by the bend 31 of the blade. .Since the blade 36 is in the same plane as the wall portion 24, the upper portion of the ticket 28 will be bent slightly rearward and it is thereby prevented from contacting the printing mechanism during the operation of the machine.

The blade 36 is particularly desirable in a number of related types of machines to which the chute 23 may be applied and in which small slips and tickets which do not readily stay in place and are apt to come into contact with the printing mechanism are used, and hence require some means such as described above to hold the ticket out of possible contact with the printing mechanism. However, where the tickets and bills are larger, the holding blade 36 may be dispensed with so that the ticket may be easily inserted and removed without the gripping action of the blade.

The modification shown in Fig. 3 is similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2 except that the stud 29, the

fingers 34 and 35, holding blade 36, and the ribbon return'post i8 have been eliminated and an additional or auxiliary chute 40 has been provided. This second front feed chute 40, positioned between the front and rear stretches of ribbon l6 at the right side thereof opposite from chute 23, is comprised of adjacent walls 4| and 42 whose upper portions 4| and 42 diverge outwardly in opposite directions to form a trough 43. The ribbon I6 is caused to double back upon itself so as to provide two stretches thereof in front of the platen II by having the ribbon pass over and under a blade 44 and under and over a blade 45, the blades 44 and 45 having ribbon retaining projections 44 and 45. By this construction the ribbon I6 is passed under a chute extension 46 which lies between the blades 44 and 45 and thereby a ticket or bill of long dimension may be inserted in the chute 23 from the side and moved laterally into chute 40, or placed simultaneously into both chutes 23 and 40 from above. The large ticket may be printed in different positions so that amounts or words may be printed in various columns of the ticket 28 whose right end portion may extend beyond chute 40 during the printing operation. The ticket may be withdrawn from the machine by continuing the same laterally to the right through the chute 40 without interference with-the ribbon IE, or it may be withdrawn vertically or from the left chute 23.

Although the foreging description has set forth one form of ticket inserting and holding device and one modification thereof as applied to one type of calculating machine and to such a machine as employs two ribbons, it will be apparent that the invention may be applied to different types of machines such as those using only one stretch of ribbon and those using movable paper carriages. It will also be understood that changes and other modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A chute for a business machine adapted to be positioned between a pair of ribbons at one side thereof and to. receive and hold a ticket during the operation of the machine, comprising closely adjacent side walls terminating in a ticket receiving trough at the outer ends thereof.

2. A chute for a business machine adapted to be positioned between a pair of ribbons at one side thereof and to receive and hold a ticket during the operation of the machine, comprising closely adjacent side walls terminating in a ticket receiving trough at the outer end portions thereof.

3. A chute fora business machine adapted to be positioned between a ribbon and a platen at one side thereof and to receive a ticket, comprising closely adjacent walls terminating in ticket receiving troughs at the upper and outer end portions thereof and a pair of resilient fingers formed in the inner end portions of said walls adapted to grip said ticket.

. ing position. 1

5. A chute for a business machine adapted to be positioned'between a ribbon and a platen at one side thereof and to receive a ticket, comprising adjacent walls terminating in ticket receiving troughs at the upper and outer end portions thereof and a blade, doubled back upon itself, extending laterally in front of the platen from the upper trough and adapted to receive and hold said ticket in printing position.

6. A chute for a business machine adapted to be positioned between a ribbon and a platen at one side thereof to receive a ticket, comprising adjacent walls, a ticket receiving trough formed by outwardly diverging end portions of said walls, and a blade, doubled back upon itself, extending in front of said platen from. the upper rear outwardly diverging wall portion and in the same plane thereof, and adapted to hold said ticket in proper printing position so that the upper portion of said ticket will be inclined rearwardly out of contact with the printing mechanism.

'7. A chute for abusiness machine adapted to be positioned between a ribbon and a platen at one side thereof and to receive a ticket; compris ing adjacent walls, resilient fingers formed in the inner end portions of said walls adapted to grip the ticket, a ticket receiving trough formed by outwardly diverging outer end portions of said walls, and a blade, doubled back upon itself, extending in front of said platen above the ribbon from the upper rear outwardly diverging wall portion and in the same plane thereof, and adapted to limit the lateral movement of said-ticket upper and outer end portions thereof and a pair v of resilient fingers formed in the inner end portions of said walls adapted to grip said ticket.

9. A chute for a business machine adapted to be positioned between and at one side of a pair of ribbons that pass in front of a platen to receive a ticket, comprising adjacent walls terminating in ticket receiving troughs at the upper and outer end portions thereof and a blade, extending laterally in front of the platen from the upper trough and adapted to receive and hold said ticket in printing position.

10. In combination with a business machine having a platen and a stretch of ribbon passing in front of said platen, a chute positioned between the platen and the stretch of ribbon at one side thereof and adapted to receive and hold a ticket during the operation of the printing mechanism,

side insertion and side ejection.

11. In combination with a business machine having a platen-and a. stretch of ribbon passing in front of said platen, a chute positioned between the platen and the stretch of ribbon at one side thereof to receive and hold a ticket, said chute comprising closely adjacent walls open at three sides thereof and terminating in a ticket receiving trough at one end thereof.

12. In combination with a Business machine having a platen and a stretch of ribbon passing in front of said platen, a chute positioned between the platen and the stretch of ribbon at one side thereof to receive and hold a ticket, said chute comprising closely adjacent side walls terminating in a ticket receiving trough at the outer end thereof, and a stop stud positioned adjacent the other end of the platen from said chute and. adapted to limit the lateral movement of the ticket.

13. In combination with a business machine having a platen and a stretch of ribbon passing in front of said platen, a chute positioned between the platen and the stretch of ribbonat one side thereof to receive and hold a ticket, said chute comprising closely adjacent walls terminating in a ticket receiving trough at the outer end thereof, a stop stud positioned adjacent the other end of the platen from said chute and adapted to limit the lateral movement of the ticket, and a ticket supporting plate extending under said stud.

14. In combination with a business machine having a platen and a stretch of ribbon passing in front of said platen, a chute positioned between the platen and the stretch of ribbon at one side thereof to receive a ticket, said chute comprising closely adjacent walls, terminating in a ticket receiving trough at the end portions thereof, and a pair of resilient fingers formed in the inner end portions of said walls adapted to grip said ticket.

15. In combination with a business machine having a platen and a stretch of ribbon passing in front of said platen, a chute, positioned between the platen and the stretch of ribbon at one side thereof to receive a ticket, comprising closely adjacent wallsterminating in a ticket receiving trough at the end portions thereof, and a blade, doubled back upon itself, extending laterally in front of the platen from the upper edge of said chute and adapted to receive and hold said ticket in printing position.

16. In combination with a business machine having a platen and a stretch of ribbon passing in front of said platen, a chute adapted to receive a ticket, positioned between the platen and the stretch of ribbon at one side thereof, comprising closely adjacent walls, resilient fingers formed in the inner end portions of said walls adjacent the platen, ticket receiving troughs formed by outwardly diverging upper andouter end portions of said walls, and a blade, doubled back upon itself, extending in front of the platen from the upper rear outwardly diverging wall'portion and in the same plane thereof, said fingers and 'said blade being adapted to hold the ticket in printing position. v

17., In combination with a business machine having a platen and a stretch of ribbon passing in front of said platen, a chute, positioned between the platen and the stretch of ribbon at one side thereof to receive a ticket, comprising closely adjacent walls terminating in ticket receiving troughs formed by outwardly diverging upper and outer end portions of said walls, and a blade,

doubled back upon itself, extending in front of said platen from the upper rear outwardly diverging wall portion and in the same plane thereof and adapted to hold said ticket in proper printing position so that the upper portion of said ticket will be inclined rearwardly out of contact with the printing mechanism of said machine.

18. In combination with a business machine having a platen and a pair of ribbons in front of said platen, a front feed chute positioned in front of the platen and extending between the ribbons at one end thereof, said chute bein adapted to receive a ticket at its outer end portions and to hold the same during the operation of the printing mechanism.

19. In combination with a business machine having a platen and a pair of ribbons in front of said platen, a chute, positioned between the ribbons at one end thereof to receive and hold a ticket, comprising closely adjacent walls open at three sides thereof and terminating in a ticket receiving trough at one end thereof.

20. In combination with a business machine having a platen and a pair of ribbons in front of said platen, a chute, positioned between the ribbons at one end thereof to receive and hold a ticket, comprising closely adjacent walls terminating in a ticket receiving trough at the end portions thereof and a pair of resilient fingers formed in the inner end portions of said walls adapted to grip said ticket.

21. In combination with a business machine having a platen and a pair of ribbons in front of said platen, a chute, positioned between the ribbons at one end thereof to receive a ticket, comprising closely adjacent walls terminating in a ticket receiving trough at the end portions thereof and a blade, doubled back upon itself, extending laterally in front of said platen from the upper edge of said chute and adapted to receive and hold said ticket in printing position.

22. In a business machine, the combination of a platen, a double stretch of ribbon in front of said platen, a front feed chute positioned in front of the platen and extending between the stretches of ribbon and at one end thereof to 23. In a business machine, the combination of a platen, a ribbon doubled back upon itself to form a double stretch thereof in front of said platen, a chute positioned between the stretches of ribbon and at one end thereof to receive and hold a ticket, a second chute positioned between the stretches of ribbon at their other ends to receive and hold said ticket, said second chute comprising adjacent walls having outwardly diverging upper portions forming a guiding trough, and means by which the ribbon is doubled back and passed under said second chute to facilitate the extension and the removal of the ticket through the second chute.

24. In a business machine, the combination of a platen, a ribbon doubled back upon itself to form a double stretch thereof in front of said platen, a chute positioned between the stretches of ribbon and at one end thereof to receive and hold a.ticket, said chute comprising adjacent walls terminating in ticket receiving troughs at the upper and outer portions thereof, a second chute positioned between the stretches of ribbon at the other end thereof to receive and hold said ticket, said second chute comprising adjacent walls having outwardly diverging upper portions forming a guiding trough, and means by which the ribbon is doubled back and passed under said second chute to facilitate the extension and the removal of the ticket through the second chute.

25. In a. business machine, the combination of a platen, a double stretch of ribbon in front of said platen, a front-feed chute positioned in front of the platen and extending between the stretches of ribbon and at one end thereof to receive and hold a ticket and a second chute comprising adjacent walls positioned between the stretches of ribbon at their other ends to receive and hold said ticket, both of said chutes being open at their end portions to permit side insertion of a ticket.

26. In a business machine, the combination of a platen, a stretch of ribbon passing in front of said platen, a front-feed chute positioned between the platen and the stretch of ribbon at one side thereof to receive and hold a ticket, a second chute comprising adjacent walls positioned between the platen and the stretch of ribbon at the other end thereof to receive and hold a ticket, both of said chutes being open at their end portions to permit side insertion of a ticket.

27. In a business machine, the combination of a platen, a ribbon doubled back upon itself to form a double stretch thereof in front of said platen, a front-feed chute positioned between the stretches of ribbon and at one end thereof to receive and hold a ticket, a second chute comprising adjacent walls positioned between the stretches of ribbon at their other ends to receive and hold said ticket, both of said chutes being open at their end portions to permit side insertion of a ticket, and means by which'the ribbon is doubled back and passed under said second chute to facilitate the extension and the removal of the ticket through the second chute.

ERNEST RACZ. 

